Wednesday, October 29, 2008

Signs? Kuching has it eons ago. Some even the Chinese words bigger than the Malay ones. And tudung-clad Muslims eat at Chinese shops - chicken rice, rojak, and whatever you name it (except for char-siew laden kolok mee, of course). Will post pictures later. Don't believe? Ask MP Chong or the femes philandering junk-food gulper. ;-)

Oh, and yes. There are Indians in the East, unlike what Anwar told the crowd at the Malaysia Day gathering: "Sabah Sarawak mana ada India".

Wednesday, October 15, 2008

SHAH ALAM, Oct 15 (Bernama) -- A former dean of Universiti Teknologi Mara (UiTM) Sports Science and Recreation Faculty was sentenced to three years in jail and fined RM10,000 by the Sessions Court here today.

Datuk Md Saberi Md Salleh was earlier convicted of affirming an invoice for the supply of sports equipment totalling RM138,600 when no equipment had been supplied.

Judge Datin Zabariah Mohd Yusof also imposed the same penalty on the owner of a company supplying sports equipment, Zaleha Abd Rahman, who signed the false document for abetment.

Saberi and Zaleha were found to have committed the offence at the faculty in the UiTM Shah Alam campus between March 24 and April 2, 1999 and punished under Section 16 of the Anti-Corruption Act 1997.

However, the court granted them a stay of the jail order pending appeal at the High Court. Md Saberi and Zaleha paid the fine as well as posted bail which the court had raised to RM17,000 and RM15,000 respectively.

In sentencing, Zabariah said the court had considered Md Saberi's contributions to UiTM and the country as well as Zaleha's health status and the fact that it was her first offence.

"Nevertheless, the court is of the opinion that public interest supercedes the interests of the two accused as the offence committed involves public funds and tarnishes the credibility of the public institute of higher learning.

"A deterrent sentence has to be imposed," she said.

Lawyer Mohd Ismail Mohamad who represented Md Saberi, said in the plea of mitigation that his client was of good character, a well known personality in Taekwando and former chairman of the Malaysian Taekwando Association.

Md Saberi was also the founder of UiTM Sports Science and Recreation Faculty, he said.

Zaleha's counsel, Salim Bashir, said his client suffered from chronic diabetes and if jailed, her business had to close down because she was the sole owner.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Mohd Josiendra Abu Senin of the Anti-Corruption Agency said the sentence should be in line with the government's wish and mission to wipe out corruption, power abuse and misappropriation especially when it involves public funds.

The trial saw the prosecution calling 14 witnesses including former UiTM vice chancellor Datuk Ahmad Zaidee Laidin while the defence took the both accused to the stand.

In a statement issued here, Syed Hamid said the decision to declare Hindraf as an illegal organisation was made following the ministry being satisfied with facts and evidence that showed Hindraf had and was being used for unlawful purposes and posed a threat to public order and morality.

"Based on powers vested under Section 5(1) of the Societies Act, Hindraf from today is declared an illegal organisation," he said.

He said the order was being made as a result of monitoring and investigation on the organisation's activities by the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and Home Ministry, since Hindraf's inception.

Syed Hamid said if left unchecked, Hindraf would continue to pose a threat to public order, the security and sovereignty of the country as well as the prevailing racial harmony.

"The decision to declare Hindraf an illegal organisation is not based on one or two of its activities that are in contravention of the law but covers all the actions it has taken since being formed," he said.

Syed Hamid said Hindraf had all the criteria of an organised movement because it had filed for registration with the ROS on Oct 16 last year.

he application had yet to be approved but Hindraf had actively exploited the Indian community to organise illegal assemblies and street demonstrations without permits to the point of causing a segment of the community to rise up against the government and also hatred among the Malays and Indians in the country, he said.

"Hindraf has also tried to secure support from foreign countries for the purpose of pressuring the government to bow to its demands," he added.

Syed Hamid advised the public to distance themselves from Hindraf and not participate in any way in any of its activities.

Thursday, October 09, 2008

1 HARVARD University United States 2 YALE University United States 3 University of CAMBRIDGE United Kingdom 4 University of OXFORD United Kingdom 5 CALIFORNIA Institute of Technology (Caltec) United States 6 IMPERIAL College London United Kingdom 7 UCL (University College London) United Kingdom 8 University of CHICAGO United States 9 MASSACHUSETTS Institute of Technology (MIT) United States 10 COLUMBIA University United States

When I asked him if he regretted being pushed, he gestured to the man sitting beside him, his deputy and heir Najib Razak, and to the other politicians around him from the ruling coalition.

He said: "Ask them if they have forced me out." A few shook their heads but Malaysia's fifth prime minister is not leaving office in March 2009 because he wants to. He is leaving because he has to.

There are still a few months to go but the epitaph will not be kind.

"He was weak, he was reluctant to do things which he should've done," says Chandra Muzaffar, a political analyst and academic.

After promising so much in 2004 when he secured a record victory at the polls, Dr Muzaffar believes Abdullah Badawi squandered a mandate for reform because he could not deliver.

"There is, I think, a personality factor at play - the reluctance on his part to antagonise people, to do things which a reform-minded prime minister will have to," he says.

'Power first'

The man who is almost certain to succeed him has been groomed for the job from the day he was born.

The government under Najib will be ruthless

Anwar Ibrahimopposition leader

Najib Razak is the son of Malaysia's second prime minister. He has been in parliament since his early 20s.

"People expect him to be tougher," opposition leader Anwar Ibrahim told the BBC.

"The government under Najib will be ruthless."

He believes that little will change come next year when the handover takes place.

"Nothing is resolved, he is surrendering to a person who is badly tarnished," he told me.

That is a reference to sensational claims that the deputy prime minister was involved in the murder of a woman.

Najib Razak has strongly denied the allegation.

One of his closest advisors is on trial for the killing.

In an interview with the BBC last August, he did admit that there had been questions about his reputation but said: "I think I have cleared my name... my conscience is clear."

There are those who see this British-educated economist as the insider who can bring about change.

"Najib knows that if Umno [the United Malays National Organisation] and the Barisan Nasional [National Front] don't change, in the short term, they will be in deep trouble," says political analyst Dr Muzaffar.

But he believes that he will not promise a raft of radical reform, like the changes Abdullah Badawi promised for the judiciary and the corruption agency, adding:

"What impels him to bring about change is not so much a commitment to reform as a commitment to power."

Fatal slip

The reason Abdullah Badawi is going is because he came close to losing power.

In Malaysia's 51-year history that has never happened.

The same side has been in charge from Day One.

The country had continued its impressive economic growth under his watch.

But divisions which have haunted this multi-racial and multi-religious nation at times bubbled to the surface once more.

When his second general election as leader came around earlier this year, the people punished him.

Malaysia's minority Chinese and Indians deserted the government in droves. The prime minister was humiliated. The Barisan Nasional won but with a much reduced majority. Support for the opposition swelled to unprecedented levels.

In the days and weeks after the result, Abdullah Badawi faced down his critics.

Then came the first sign of mounting dissent in the ranks.

He agreed to hand over to his number two in 2010. That failed to allay the fears of those who thought the government was doomed unless it changed leader and direction.

So after months of in-fighting he is going, much earlier than he said he planned to go.

"In all my years of service, I've always been guided by my conscience - I've always placed the interests of the nation above all," Abdullah Badawi said as he announced his decision.

"It is with this in mind that I announce I will not be standing... in the coming party elections."

He said he was going to ensure unity.

End of the road

Unity is a crucial theme in Malaysia. This is a country of different races, different religions, with people of vastly differing wealth. For 51 years it has remained mostly stable and peaceful, but fundamental problems remain.

The increasing role of Islam, the religion of the Malay majority, worries the country's 35% non-Muslims.

A decades-old economic policy which gives preferential treatment to Malays still causes bitterness and anger. Malays can jump the queue for university places, government jobs and housing.

Abdullah Badawi's reign will stretch to almost six years by the time he steps down but he may be remembered most for events in the final months.

With an invigorated opposition threatening to take power, the prime minister and his government resorted to desperate acts.

An opposition member of parliament, a journalist and a prominent blogger were arrested and detained under strict security laws. They were deemed a threat to national security.

Anwar Ibrahim is facing a trail for sodomy, an accusation many believe is fabricated and politically motivated.

Malaysia is at a "historic crossroads" the prime minister said as he announced his departure.

"We must reform and mature," he added.

Now that responsibility will fall to someone else. The era of the man known affectionately as Pak Lah, meaning Uncle, is almost over.

Wednesday, October 08, 2008

What's his game plan? Is SIL pulling all the strings? Or is he calling it quits? What's the deal? Why isn't blogger (notice the singular; you know who is the sole one) wearing 'We love Bedol' t-shirts around?

Harald zur Hausen went against current dogma and postulated that oncogenic human papilloma virus (HPV) caused cervical cancer, the second most common cancer among women. He realized that HPV-DNA could exist in a non-productive state in the tumours, and should be detectable by specific searches for viral DNA. He found HPV to be a heterogeneous family of viruses. Only some HPV types cause cancer. His discovery has led to characterization of the natural history of HPV infection, an understanding of mechanisms of HPV-induced carcinogenesis and the development of prophylactic vaccines against HPV acquisition.

Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier discovered human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Virus production was identified in lymphocytes from patients with enlarged lymph nodes in early stages of acquired immunodeficiency, and in blood from patients with late stage disease. They characterized this retrovirus as the first known human lentivirus based on its morphological, biochemical and immunological properties. HIV impaired the immune system because of massive virus replication and cell damage to lymphocytes. The discovery was one prerequisite for the current understanding of the biology of the disease and its antiretroviral treatment.Discovery of human papilloma virus causing cervical cancer

Against the prevailing view during the 1970s, Harald zur Hausen postulated a role for human papilloma virus (HPV) in cervical cancer. He assumed that the tumour cells, if they contained an oncogenic virus, should harbour viral DNA integrated into their genomes. The HPV genes promoting cell proliferation should therefore be detectable by specifically searching tumour cells for such viral DNA. Harald zur Hausen pursued this idea for over 10 years by searching for different HPV types, a search made difficult by the fact that only parts of the viral DNA were integrated into the host genome. He found novel HPV-DNA in cervix cancer biopsies, and thus discovered the new, tumourigenic HPV16 type in 1983. In 1984, he cloned HPV16 and 18 from patients with cervical cancer. The HPV types 16 and 18 were consistently found in about 70% of cervical cancer biopsies throughout the world.Importance of the HPV discovery

The global public health burden attributable to human papilloma viruses is considerable. More than 5% of all cancers worldwide are caused by persistent infection with this virus. Infection by the human papilloma virus is the most common sexually transmitted agent, afflicting 50-80% of the population. Of the more than 100 HPV types known, about 40 infect the genital tract, and 15 of these put women at high risk for cervical cancer. In addition, HPV is found in some vulval, penile, oral and other cancers. Human papilloma virus can be detected in 99.7% of women with histologically confirmed cervical cancer, affecting some 500,000 women per year.

Harald zur Hausen demonstrated novel properties of HPV that have led to an understanding of mechanisms for papilloma virus-induced carcinogenesis and the predisposing factors for viral persistence and cellular transformation. He made HPV16 and 18 available to the scientific community. Vaccines were ultimately developed that provide ≥95 % protection from infection by the high risk HPV16 and 18 types. The vaccines may also reduce the need for surgery and the global burden of cervical cancer.Discovery of HIV

Following medical reports of a novel immunodeficiency syndrome in 1981, the search for a causative agent was on. Françoise Barré-Sinoussi and Luc Montagnier isolated and cultured lymph node cells from patients that had swollen lymph nodes characteristic of the early stage of acquired immune deficiency. They detected activity of the retroviral enzyme reverse transcriptase, a direct sign of retrovirus replication. They also found retroviral particles budding from the infected cells. Isolated virus infected and killed lymphocytes from both diseased and healthy donors, and reacted with antibodies from infected patients. In contrast to previously characterized human oncogenic retroviruses, the novel retrovirus they had discovered, now known as human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), did not induce uncontrolled cell growth. Instead, the virus required cell activation for replication and mediated cell fusion of T lymphocytes. This partly explained how HIV impairs the immune system since the T cells are essential for immune defence. By 1984, Barré-Sinoussi and Montagnier had obtained several isolates of the novel human retrovirus, which they identified as a lentivirus, from sexually infected individuals, haemophiliacs, mother to infant transmissions and transfused patients. The significance of their achievements should be viewed in the context of a global ubiquitous epidemic affecting close to 1% of the population.Importance of the HIV discovery

Soon after the discovery of the virus, several groups contributed to the definitive demonstration of HIV as the cause of acquired human immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). Barré-Sinoussi and Montagnier's discovery made rapid cloning of the HIV-1 genome possible. This has allowed identification of important details in its replication cycle and how the virus interacts with its host. Furthermore, it led to development of methods to diagnose infected patients and to screen bloodproducts, which has limited the spread of the pandemic. The unprecedented development of several classes of new antiviral drugs is also a result of knowledge of the details of the viral replication cycle. The combination of prevention and treatment has substantially decreased spread of the disease and dramatically increased life expectancy among treated patients. The cloning of HIV enabled studies of its origin and evolution. The virus was probably passed to humans from chimpanzees in West Africa early in the 20th century, but it is still unclear why the epidemic spread so dramatically from 1970 and onwards.

Identification of virus−host interactions has provided information on how HIV evades the host’s immune system by impairing lymphocyte function, by constantly changing and by hiding its genome in the host lymphocyte DNA, making its eradication in the infected host difficult even after long-term antiviral treatment. Extensive knowledge about these unique viral host interactions has, however, generated results that can provide ideas for future vaccine development as well as for therapeutic approaches targeting viral latency.

HIV has generated a novel pandemic. Never before has science and medicine been so quick to discover, identify the origin and provide treatment for a new disease entity. Successful anti-retroviral therapy results in life expectancies for persons with HIV infection now reaching levels similar to those of uninfected people.

Harald zur Hausen, born 1936 in Germany, German citizen, MD at University of Düsseldorf, Germany. Professor emeritus and former Chairman and Scientific Director, German Cancer Research Centre, Heidelberg, Germany.

Luc Montagnier, born 1932 in France, French citizen, PhD in virology, University of Paris, Paris, France. Professor emeritus and Director, World Foundation for AIDS Research and Prevention, Paris, France.

Nutrition: Massimiliano Zampini and Charles Spence for their study showing that food actually tastes better if it sounds crunchier.Peace: The Swiss Federal Ethics Committee on Non-Human Biotechnology and the citizens of Switzerland for adopting the legal principle that plants have dignity.Archaeology: Astolfo Gomes de Mello Araujo and Jose Carlos Marcelino for demonstrating that armadillos can turn the contents of an archaeological dig upside down.

Biology: Marie-Christine Cadiergues, Christel Joubert and Michel Franc for showing that fleas on dogs can jump higher than fleas on a cats.

Physics: Dorian Raymer and Douglas Smith for proving that heaps of string or hair or almost anything else will inevitably tangle themselves up in knots.

Chemistry: Sheree Umpierre, Joseph Hill and Deborah Anderson for discovering that Coca-Cola is an effective spermicide (it was shared with C.Y. Hong, C.C. Shieh, P. Wu and B.N. Chiang who showed the opposite).Literature: David Sims for his passionately written study "You Bastard: A Narrative Exploration of the Experience of Indignation within Organizations."

Wednesday, October 01, 2008

A Taiwan company began Tuesday to recall a batch of cheese cracker sandwiches imported from Malaysia after finding the toxic chemical melamine in the biscuits, reported dpa.

The Golden Kestrel Co Ltd ordered the recall after test results at two laboratories showed traces of melamine in the Regimen House cheese cracker sandwich, the company said on its website.

The result from one lab showed the cracker contained 29 parts per million (ppm) of melamine while the other test showed its melamine concentration is 17 ppm.

Taiwan's permitted melamine concentration is 2.5 ppm.

Golden Kestrel claims that it imported 12,314 boxes of the Regimen House cheese cracker sandwich - two round biscuits stuck together by cheese filling - from Malaysia between April and July. They were sold at the Costco hypermarkets across Taiwan.

Golden Kestrel has removed the cheese cracker sandwiches from Costco, and has been asked to submit import papers and records of the sale of the biscuits to the Taipei City Government's Department of Health.